Research in cotton

Last week, some positive developments in agricultural research in cotton were announced; the signing of a MoU with the Chinese to bring technology and investment in research here, and the Multan Cotton Research Station’s announcement of progress regarding the cotton leaf curl virus. Both of these announcements bode well for the cotton sector.
Cotton leaf curl virus is a menace found in south-east Asia and Africa. According to Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Director Cotton Research Institute Faisalabad, the virus has been known to reduce cotton yields by as much as 50 percent or more. Thus far, he said that varieties with tolerance are there, while some with resistance are in the pipeline. However, he said resistance compromises on yields, and there are no varieties presently being used that are resistant.
Dr. Saghir Ahmed told BR Research about the progress being made at the Multan Cotton Research Station. He said that the new variety brings together American and Desi cotton and is highly tolerant. He said the new variety will raise yields by around 3 to 4 maund per hectare – a remarkable improvement considering that the national average is in the twenties. Moreover, this is the closest thing to a resistant variety of cotton there is.
Regarding the Chinese investment, a modern biotech research laboratory is expected to be set up as a joint venture between China and Pakistan that will promote agricultural research and bring Chinese state-of-the-art technology to our country.
Such developments in research are much-needed in Pakistan. It’s definitely welcome news compared to the CDA’s move to lay waste to the National Agriculture Research Council for building a housing colony. Pakistan needs research – We are the world’s fourth-largest producer of cotton but in terms of yield, we lag severely behind; the USDA reports that Pakistan’s expected cotton yield for 2015/16 is 738kg/ha, which is short of the world average of 764kg/ha. We have the resources, but we need to build up our capability. And we could make do with some tips from the Chinese, whose cotton yield – 1547 kg/ha – is the highest in the world.